


Overheard at the Glory Hole

by SucculentHyena



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eavesdropping, Glory Hole, Humor, Inappropriate Erections, M/M, Misunderstandings, No actual sex happens, One Shot, Sexual Fantasy, but not THAT kind of glory hole
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:40:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26710822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SucculentHyena/pseuds/SucculentHyena
Summary: “I spent eight hours working the glory hole today, I’mtired”Bucky overhears aninterestingphone conversation on the subway, and he can’t help but get sucked into the vivid narrative being painted.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 29
Kudos: 198
Collections: Stucky Bingo 2020





	Overheard at the Glory Hole

**Author's Note:**

> My fill for the Stucky Bingo 2020 for the square “Stalking”

Bucky was minding his business, riding the subway on his way home after staying late at work, when the train made another stop. This late at night meant there wasn’t any of the usual shuffle, just a handful of people getting on and off with plenty of room not to bump into each other.

Of the two new people getting on, one caught Bucky’s eye immediately.

He sat down a few seats over on the opposite side of the car. He was big, blond and muscled, and about as handsome as a model. His loose jacket sat rumbled over the tight shirt he wore underneath, though what really drew Bucky’s eye beyond those striking features was his state of dishevelment.

His hair was damp with drying sweat, and Bucky could spot a wet patch starting from his collar and going all the way down to his chest where the sweat had collected. The night was cool, which meant wherever he’d come from had given him a heavy workout- especially if his look of utter exhaustion was anything to go by.

Bucky was subtle as he checked him out, not wanting to look like a creep staring at a stranger- although it wasn’t like the guy would notice. He looked like he was seconds away from falling asleep, his head tilting forward only to snap back up as struggled not to doze. It was cute.

He was on another cycle of nearly falling asleep when his phone rang, startling him back to alertness, and Bucky hastily turned his gaze away before he was spotted.

The guy picked up the phone with a sigh, attempting to rub the sleep out of his eyes as he answered.

“Hello? Yeah, this is Steve… Sorry, what? Why’s he still…? Yeah, put him on”

His voice had the a low timber of sleep that brought a good feeling to Bucky’s gut. He shamelessly listened in to the conversation; though it would've been hard not to when there was less than a dozen other passengers filling the car with their own silence.

Steve let out another sigh, and Bucky stole glance to see him rub a hand over his face.

“Peter? Why are you still there, you should’ve gone home by now… he’s what?”

A moment of silence as the other person on the phone spoke, his end of the conversation hidden. Bucky kept peeking as Steve became more and more weary, at one point pulling the phone away so he could quietly mutter “ _Christ”_ in exasperation before putting the phone back to his ear.

“Peter, Peter- _Pete_ , listen, I spent eight hours working the glory hole today, I’m _tired_ ” he said, and Bucky’s wasn’t the only head to turn towards Steve, who either had no shame or was too tired to realize the whole car could hear his words. This was New York, however, and everyone was quick to go back to pretending they weren’t blatantly listening.

“If he wants to keep going then he can do it on his own. You’re _my_ apprentice, don’t let him rope you into his stuff. You only started blowing last month, you’re not _ready_ for paddles. Just leave them with Wade, okay? And don’t let him talk you into stuff I haven’t taught you yet… Good, now pack up and go home… You too, bye” he said, ending the call and tucking the phone back in his pocket

Steve tilted his head back against the window with another sigh, letting his eyes close as if the conversation had been the last straw for his exhaustion. It gave Bucky a chance to really look him over.

Bucky had been guessing he’d just finished a late gym workout, or maybe some manual labour, but _this?_ Glory holes and paddles he’d said, and it shifted Bucky’s perception dramatically. Where he’d been thinking of him in that tight shirt, lifting weights or hauling lumber with his muscles rippling through the fabric, now all Bucky could see was this guy on his knees.

The thought of it, this big man moaning around a cock- _many_ cocks, jesus, had he said eight hours at a glory hole?- had Bucky’s mouth salivating. Was it a job for him, did he take each one with practiced efficiency? Or was it a passion, sucking dick like his life depended on it?

Bucky could see it, the wet glide of his tongue licking up the shaft until he could suck on the head. Bobbing up and down, pumping with his hands where his mouth didn’t reach. Would he be messy with it? Let the precome smear his mouth and cheeks, let the drool leak down his chin? Would he let their come paint his face while he jacked them with his hand?

Oh, but maybe he swallowed it all clean, let their dicks pulse on his tongue and down his throat, swallowing around the meat of it.

Fuck, Bucky’s cock twitched at the thought.

And then there was the whole _apprentice_ bit. Was there such a thing as a glory hole apprentice? No, he’d said he hadn’t taught this Peter how to work paddles, it had to be a dungeon thing. Bucky had a vague knowledge of this stuff, but not enough to really _know_ about it.

The thought of Steve teaching someone sent a strangely pleasant feeling down Bucky’s spine, however. How did one teach at a sex dungeon?

Bucky pictured him standing over his apprentice, giving instructions in that smooth voice, guiding him as he worked someone at a glory hole. He’d put his hand on the back of his apprentice’s neck, pushing and pulling his head to show him the right rhythm, telling him when to suck, where to lick, how deep to take it and what to do with his hands.

Or, maybe he taught through example. Maybe he had a whole class of apprentices, all of them standing back and watching him work, each of them taking turns at the hole as Steve showed them how it was done. Afterwards he’d be a mess, covered with his student’s come- yet still in charge, like he’d done them all a favour by letting them use his mouth…

Bucky knew he was fantasizing a little too much. It probably wasn’t as pornographic as he was imagining- but dear God had this man had put some images into Bucky’s head.

The train pulled to a stop, and Bucky was disappointed to see it was his own. He would’ve liked a little more time to take in the guy, see more of his exposed throat with his head tilted back like that- but that was getting too creepy.

He got out and made his way up to the street, a smile pulling his lips as he went over the conversation he’d overheard. Bucky was no stranger to weirdos on the subway, but this one had definitely taken the cake.

And he’d certainly given Bucky something to picture when he jacked off tonight.

* * *

Another late night at the office had Bucky taking the train well into the evening, though he didn’t mind the quieter ride. The overtime pay didn’t hurt either.

He also spotted a familiar face in a familiar state of dishevelment, boarding the car only two stops after Bucky had got on- Glory Hole Steve, as he’d started calling him privately.

Glory Hole Steve had also become a regular feature in Buck’s fantasies, despite his attempts to fantasize about other men. He usually started out okay, the image of some imagined person playing in his head, but then the visual of Steve would creep into his thoughts by the time he got halfway.

Steve would be covered in sweat, spatters of other men’s come all over his face, dripping down his neck and chest, tear tracks running down his cheeks. The thought of how sore Steve’s mouth must be, how he’d been used to the last shred of his endurance, yet he kept going because he was so hungry for it-

That was about as far as Bucky would get before he came.

Suffice to say, the guy had made an impression.

Bucky hadn’t expected to ever see him again, but here they were. This time he sat down on the same side of the car as Bucky, only a few seats down the row. He looked just as exhausted as he had last time, but now he didn’t bother trying to stay awake.

Glory Hole Steve let his head lean back with his eyes closed, and it gave Bucky the freedom to look him up and down, not caring that other people could see him do it.

Steve's hair was messy like he’d run his hand through it, the sweat holding it up in little spikes. His cheeks were flushed and his skin shone with a thin sheen of sweat. Bucky wondered what he’d been doing to get in this state; another stint at the glory hole?

A moment later and Glory Hole Steve’s phone rang. Bucky quickly turned away as if he hadn’t been looking at all.

“Hello- hey Sam. No, I just left. You’re-? Just you and Scott? That’s a three-person job, you can’t have a suspension without a third- right. Okay, well you realize that’s your own fault for doing this so late? I was there all day, you only decided to do this now?… Well yeah, I was busy showing Peter how canes worked”

Steve sounded unhappy, going quiet as he listened to the other person speak.

Bucky gulped. _Suspension. Canes._ This was heavy stuff.

“ _No_ , I’m not coming back for a two minute suspension. Just use another bench for the opposite support. Yeah, won’t be pretty but that’s on you” he grumbled.

Bucky’s mouth twitched in a grin. Was he seriously getting grumpy about bondage?

Then suddenly it was Bucky’s stop, and he hid his grin as he got up and walked past Steve, who was still on the phone explaining why he wasn’t going in to help.

Once he was out he waited a moment to watch Steve argue on the phone some more. He thought about what it would be like to be tied up by him, suspended and at his mercy. Those strong hands moving him, forcing his body into whatever position he wanted, maybe with his legs spread wide, leaving him vulnerable and at Steve’s mercy to be played with…

More stuff to think about when he got home.

* * *

Bucky couldn’t get Glory Hole Steve out of his head. Every night- and Bucky meant _every_ night- he was fantasizing all the fun things he and Steve could do. Fucking Steve’s mouth, Steve fucking _his_ mouth, getting tied up and ridden, spanked, ordered around- his imagination wouldn’t let go.

It got to a point- and he was ashamed to admit this- that he’d started looking out for Steve specifically, and not in a casual way.

He had to stay late every night this week, and every night he’d spot Steve on the subway, in the same car too. Each time he still showed up tired and sweaty, exhausted like he’d been worked hard all day.

The delicious thoughts he incited in Bucky’s mind was maddening, like a walking wet dream. Every night Bucky had to get himself off with that sight of Steve, with his stupid muscles and voice and _face_ playing over in his mind.

Blessedly, rides with Glory Hole Steve had become uneventful since the first two times, with no phone calls interrupting the silence. Instead he’d sit back with his eyes closed, and Bucky could get his eyeful in peace, letting his imagination run wild.

But then, a week and a half into their short rides together, Glory Hole Steve got another call.

Bucky watched him board, and swallowed quickly when Steve took a seat _right_ next to him, the car a little too full for people to space out their seating. Bucky could feel the heat coming off him like a furnace, and no wonder he was always so sweaty. The man was a walking fever.

Steve was already on the phone when he boarded, his voiced pitched low so he didn’t disturb the other riders. Fortunately, or maybe _unfortunately_ , Bucky could hear every word, like Steve was whispering it directly into his ear, and his throat got tight as soon as he picked up what he was saying.

“-push it forward nice and slow, go easy at first. Start going harder once you get it to about three inches”

Bucky shifted his legs, the dirty sound of Steve’s instruction making him twitch in his pants.

“It might look like faster is better ‘cause it’s so narrow, but keep it slow. You want it stretched properly”

Bucky didn’t know exactly what he was describing, but he had some guesses, and all of them were inappropriate to have in public. This _conversation_ was inappropriate to have in public, and yet Bucky couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

“Now you’re gonna blow until it’s big enough to take the rods. Get those on quickly and stick it in the glory hole. Pull in and out slowly until you got it good and red”

Bucky shifted again, getting harder to more he listened. Who was Steve talking to, what were they doing?

He was imagining someone on the other end of the phone, standing at a glory hole and slowly feeding their cock through, back and forth at Steve’s instructions, the feel of something in their ass stretching them. Bucky strained to catch the other person, what noises they were making on their end, but it was too quiet to pick up in the packed car.

Steve’s face was calm and business-like, unfazed by the people around him who might hear. What would it be like to be on the receiving end of that authority?

Bucky imagined himself slowly working a toy inside him as Steve sat and watched, giving instructions. Steve would sit there, slowly working his own cock, skin flushed like it was now. His voice would be casual, like he was explaining to Bucky how to assemble furniture, all the while Bucky would cry out as he slowly pushed the toy past his rim.

But then the car was slowing and people started to shift, and Bucky realized it was his stop.

He was completely hard in his pants, and it might be fine while he sat, but there was no way he could hide it when he stood. If he got up now, there was a good chance he’d brush up against someone, and there was no way he’d be _that guy_ on the subway. Which meant he had to stay seated until it went away.

Which meant missing his stop.

Which meant sitting next to Steve and his dirty conversation.

_Fuck._

People hustled into the car, and they were off again.

“It’s gonna start leaking at the tip, so you’ll wanna work it harder there, squeeze it the best you can” Steve went on, voice smooth and low.

Bucky shifted his legs again, imagining the painful cries of the other person as they squeezed themselves, imagining-

Steve’s free hand shifted in him lap, moving to rest over his knee. It was almost close enough to touch Bucky’s leg.

Oh, _god_ , what if Steve reached his hand over? Just cupped Bucky through his pants, still on the phone, feeling every one of Bucky’s reactions and ignoring him in favour of the conversation. Forcing Bucky to listen to him order someone else, teasing him through his pants but not letting him come-

“Yeah, go ahead and let it drip off on the table, don’t worry about cleaning it right now. Sam’s there watching, right? Yeah, if you’re not sure you can ask him, but I want you to try judging it on your own. Don’t worry, Sam’ll step in if it starts looking like it won’t go”

Oh fuck, he had someone there watching. Bucky swallowed a groan, imagining Steve doing this in front of an _audience_.

Could Bucky do it? Could he handle a dozen eyes watching him, not with arousal but with curiosity as Steve used him to demonstrate techniques. He’d be a prop, a non-participant in the best way. Steve wouldn’t even _look_ at him, he’d be too busy demonstrating and explaining everything he did, trusting Bucky to be quiet and not disturb his presentation-

The train pulled to a stop just as Steve was getting up, and Bucky didn’t even think as he stood with him. It wasn’t until he was stepping out that he realized he was following, pulled by the tether of Steve’s quiet authority.

“Great, so it’s pretty straight-forward from there, just keeping working it on the bench, maybe get Sam to assist with the paddles until you like the look of it. No, I don’t think you’ll need clamps at this point” he said, still talking on the phone as he made his way to the exit, Bucky still following behind.

Bucky knew it was weird, and it was about time he stop whatever the hell he was doing. The mortification alone had flagged his erection, but that was about the only good thing going for him. He needed to turn around and get back on his train, go home, and jack off until he could forget about the whole thing.

He was just about to stop and turn back when Steve looked over his shoulder at him, making eye contact. In panic, Bucky ducked his head, continuing to follow like they happened to be going in the same direction, and _shit,_ now they were going up the steps onto the street above.

“Good, now do a quick flash in the glory hole, you wanna keep it a little soft for the casing”

Bucky coughed out a noise, choking on spit, and again, Steve glanced back at Bucky, a strange look on his face. Bucky did the only thing he could think of to end this while saving some face.

He picked up the pace and passed Steve, like he had somewhere to be and it definitely wasn’t wherever Steve was going, pushing ahead briskly. They were going in the same direction for now, but at soon as they hit the end of the block, Bucky would turn the corner away from Steve. Then he could just circle around and get back to the subway.

“You’ve seen me flash in the glory hole, just do what I did. Slow, even movements in and out, two or three times, firm grip on the punti. Don’t leave it too long or you’re gonna start to drip off in there” Steve said behind him, and Bucky swallowed again, glad they’d finally made it to the corner.

He turned, breathing a sigh of relief-

“Yeah, you’ll get a good colour when you strike it now. Don’t worry about the cords, you’ll get the feel of how to do it better the more you work on this stuff” Steve said, _still walking behind him_.

 _Okay_ , Bucky thought, _don’t panic, just turn the next corner again_. Steve couldn’t follow beyond that, it was fine, everything was _fine_ , he didn’t have to know Bucky was following him and creeping on his conversation, he could just walk faster and put more distance between them-

“Wait- hang on a sec. Excuse me!” Steve called out, and a deep chill of dread went down Bucky’s spine. Surely he wasn’t talking to Bucky? It had to be someone else, and Bucky picked up the pace to get away.

“Sir! You dropped your wallet!”

Bucky slowed.

Ah.

That was.

Shit. He needed his wallet.

Cautiously, Bucky turned, and there was Steve, walking towards him with Bucky’s wallet in-hand, phone still held up to his ear.

“Here, you dropped this” he said, holding out Bucky’s wallet, smiling kindly. Bucky’s knees felt weak just getting that small morsel of his attention.

“Thanks” Bucky said, quickly taking his wallet back and returning a smile of his own, hoping his face wasn’t as pink as he thought it was.

“No problem- no, you gotta jack it first” Steve suddenly said into his phone, his brow furrowing. “And _don’t_ try wetting it off, let Sam do that part”

Bucky swallowed again, shifting where he stood. God, this was awkward.

Steve looked up apologetically, covering the phone with his hand. “Sorry, this is kinda time-sensitive” he explained, then got back on the phone, “It’s fine, Sam’s done this a thousand times, just let him finish for you. You did a good job”

Bucky felt a modicum of relief, because at least Glory Hole Steve was finishing. He’d already heard too much as it was.

Steve covered the phone again, a chagrined smile. “My apprentice, he bites off more than he can chew”

Bucky huffed, tucking his wallet into his pocket, “Sounds like you have it handled” Bucky said, glad he didn’t sound as awkward as he felt.

“Eh, they’re just kids, it’s not- hang on” Steve held up a finger, “Yep, into the annealer and you’re done. I’ll take a look at it tomorrow, see if we can start cold working. If not I’ll take one of mine. Either way I’ll show you how we do abrasions… Yeah, Sam can close, you should get home… It’s no trouble. You too, bye” Steve said, ending the call.

Bucky tucked his hands into his pockets. “So, uh, abrasions, huh?” he said in the ensuing silence.

Steve was tucking his phone away, running a hand through his already messy hair. “Yeah, kid needs a break from blowing, he’s still skittish around the glory hole”

Bucky gulped, nodded along. “Yeah, that’s… yeah”

And then, on a half-thought impulse, Bucky asked. “Are you, uh, taking on more apprentices?”

“Hmm?” Steve blinked, then smiled apologetically, “Oh, sorry, I’ve got my plate full already”

Bucky nodded, trying not to act disappointed. He was being enough of a creep bringing this up on the street, he didn’t need to look any worse. “Ah, alright. It just… sounded interesting”

Steve smiled, reaching into his pocket. “We do offer classes though,” he said, and Bucky perked. Steve pulled out his wallet and started rifling through it as he went on “It’s only once a week, but if you think it’s something you’d like to get into full-time we can talk about transitioning into an apprenticeship when a slot opens”

He pulled out a card from his wallet, handing it to Bucky. It was a simple black card with a thick white font reading _Star Studio_. Bucky took it and flipped the card to see the address and phone number neatly printed on the back.

“I don’t usually carry cards with me, so that’s one of our old ones without the site, but the address and phone number are the same. You can look up our name online, or just stop by” Steve said with a dazzling smile. Even tired as he looked, he was excited to share this with Bucky.

Bucky smiled shyly and tucked the card in his pocket. “Thanks, I think I might, but uh-” he took a few shuffling steps back. “- I gotta get home, so I’m just gonna…” he trailed off, pointing a thumb over his shoulder.

“Right! Right, yeah, sorry for holding you up” Steve said, waving him off.

Bucky returned the wave before turning and continuing down the block, trying not to look like he was running away. He kept his head ducked down, plowing ahead without looking back to see if Steve was watching him.

He finally turned the corner, sighing relief as he sped up, wanting to get back to the subway as fast as possible.

That whole encounter had been a nightmare.

* * *

That night, after Bucky got home and finished his supper, he pulled up his laptop on the couch, the card Steve gave him lying face-up on the coffee table.

He hesitated over the keyboard, search engine at the ready. Was he really going to do this? It was one thing to fantasize, it was another to actually look into it. Bucky didn’t know if he even _liked_ this stuff- it was fine enough in porn, but was it actually something he’d want to do in real life?

Then again, what better way to find out than in a controlled environment, with experienced professionals guiding him?

Flexing his fingers one more time, he typed in _Star Studio_.

The results that came up were a wide variety. Star Studio wasn’t exactly a unique name, and Bucky saw things ranging from photo studios to dance lessons to gyms, all with the name _Star Studio_. All of them in New York. That was some bad SEO if he ever saw one.

He huffed, then looked down at the card and copied the address into his search. That ought to get him the right place.

`www.starstudioworks.com`   
Star Studio

Based out of Lower Manhattan, Star Studio is run by our leads Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson… Classes are OPEN, sign up now!… Visit us for a tour of our workshop, no appointment needed.

_Steve Rogers._

Steve was one of the _owners?_ Bucky hadn’t really thought about it, but it made sense now that he’d read it. Steve obviously had a high place there- he had his own _apprentice_ for fuck’s sake- but Bucky hadn’t thought he ran the whole damn place.

And he’d personally extended an invitation to Bucky.

He quickly clicked the link.

`HTTP Error 503. Service Unavailable.`   
`The server is unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems. Please try again later.`

He refreshed no less than five times before giving up, groaning and letting his head fall back against the couch. _Of course the site’s down_ , he thought. This was just his luck.

With a sigh, he opened a new tab for Netflix, settling for another night in. He’d try their site again later, and hope it wouldn’t be down for long.

* * *

The site stayed down all night, and still in the morning when Bucky went to check again.

He couldn’t get the thought of it out of his head. He had so many questions, like what would the classes entail? Was it like a seminar? Were there live demonstrations? Class participation? Who taught the class?

What did the place look like inside? He’d seen the outside of it on Google, a squat looking building with plain gray siding and a glass door at the front, with a black sign reading _Star Studio_ in thick white font, reminiscent of the font of their business card. A second image showed a huge metal garage door at the back. It was about as nondescript as a place like that could be.

Was Steve working again today? Was he on his knees at the glory hole? It was nearly the end of the workday, how long would he have been at it already? Hours, probably. He could see it in his mind, Steve sweaty and disheveled, lips wet and swollen from overuse. He’d be sitting back and panting, taking a break after so much work, wiping come off his face, his chest, maybe his own cock if he touched himself while having his mouth stuffed.

If he left now, Bucky might even get a chance to see the real deal.

Bucky looked at the time in consideration. He’d been staying late every night for the past week and a half, and he’d spotted Steve going home at the same time as him. It wasn’t unreasonable to assume he’d still be working now, and for another few hours yet.

 _Technically_ , Bucky should be staying late again. The project deadline wasn’t exactly looming, but they’d undershot their estimate and needed to make up for it with a little overtime. On the other hand, they’d caught the issue early, so funnily enough, they had all the time they needed to rush.

Star Studio was barely a fifteen minute ride from here, and Steve had said to stop by any time. It couldn’t hurt to take a look, could it? Just to see what they had, maybe ask some questions.

Bucky worried his lip, thinking. He glanced back to make sure nobody could see his monitor and tried their website one more time, getting the same error message as this morning.

Would it be weird to go only a day after Steve invited him, not knowing anything about the place except the bare basics? He could call ahead… no, that would be weird. What would he even say? _Hi, I hear you guys run a sex dungeon, can I come by and look?_

Yeah, that was weird.

He could wait until their site was back up to get a better idea of the place. Or hope to run into Steve again and strike up a conversation.

 _Or…_ He could _not_ stay late and go see for himself.

He looked at the time again. He could hear some of the others already getting up to leave, those who had different projects and didn’t have to stay late, and took all of another second thinking about it before closing his current project for the day, hurrying to join the leaving crowd so he didn’t stick out.

He kept checking the direction on his phone throughout the subway ride there, and twice more while in the taxi, making sure the driver dropped him off two blocks away out of a vague sense of discomfort of anyone knowing where he was going.

It wasn’t like he was going to _do_ anything there, he was just gonna take a look and see if it interested him. Nothing weird about that.

He checked his phone one last time as he entered the parking space, confirming the address even though he could plainly see the Star Studio sign above the door, looking the same as it did from their online picture. The glare of the sun kept whatever was behind the glass hidden, and a lack of any other signage made the place look almost uninviting. For any other business it would be a little suspicious.

He paused at the sidewalk, looking at the lot. There were only a handful of cars, and Bucky wondered if that meant they didn’t have many people in; or if most of their customers, like Bucky, had gotten a lift here.

What would he find beyond those doors? A dark-lit room draped in velvet, toys hanging off the walls in display and an attendant in leather waiting to greet people? Or maybe it was more subtle than that, the front room something cozy and unassuming while the _real_ play happened in the back.

Taking a bracing breath, he walked up to the door, steeling himself to go inside.

He stepped in, the door making a chime as it opened, and looked up to see-

Glass.

Glass everywhere, on shelves living each wall and displays in the center.

It gave Bucky pause, halting just inside as the door closed behind him. He slowly took another step in, turning to look around at all the items, the overhead lights casting them in clear brightness against the stark off-white of the walls.

His eyes roved over cups and bowls and pitchers. Wine and beer glasses. Shot glasses. Vases. Figurines of people and animals. Abstractions he couldn’t even guess at. Half masterworks and half kitsch, all in a kaleidoscope of crystalline colours amongst the neat cleanliness of the plain glass in-between.

Off to one side was a checkout counter with smaller glass pieces on display, as well as a cash register and a small container of pamphlets. Behind the counter was a metal door, standing out from the clean walls in it’s worn and almost stained appearance.

 _A glass shop?_ he wondered in confusion, turning back to all the shining pieces.

There was the sound of the door opening behind him at the same time as a voice called, “Hi there, can I help you?”

Bucky was so distracted that he didn’t recognize it right away, turning to whoever had come from the behind the counter to say, “Sorry, I think I have the wrong…” only to trail off when he caught sight of _Glory Hole Steve_.

“Uh” Bucky said, caught off guard again.

“Oh hey, it’s you” Steve greeted, smiling wider as he recognized Bucky.

“Yeah” Bucky said dumbly, taking in Steve’s much sweatier form, his whole front soaked in a giant ‘V’ from his collar down to his navel. It caused his shirt to stick to his chest, outlining the cut of his muscles and near-sculpted pecks. A small hand towel was draped over his shoulder, presumably used to wipe his face before coming out to greet him.

His hair was freshly sweaty, not as dried as Bucky was used to seeing, and he had a pair of safety glasses pulled up and sitting on his head.

“I wasn’t really expecting you to come so fast, but I’m glad you stopped by” Steve went on, wiping a hand over the towel quickly before coming around the counter and offering it out to Bucky. “I don’t think I introduced myself yesterday, but I’m Steve”

“Bucky” Bucky said, taking Steve’s hand on instinct. His grip firm and so _warm._

“Great to meet you” Steve said with a smile about as radiant as some of the glass surrounding them. “So you wanted a tour? See about taking classes with us?”

Bucky blinked. “Sure”

Steve’s smile was absolutely beaming, and he turned back to the door he’d come from. “Come on back then, I’ll show you the shop” he called over his shoulder, motioning for Bucky to come around the counter.

“Uh, yeah” he mumbled, taking a half-second to process Steve’s words before scrabbling to follow.

“So how much experience do you have with glassblowing?” Steve asked as they went through the metal door.

Bucky’s mind was still reeling, and he didn’t answer right away as he took in the large workshop in front of him.

Huge vents sat on the ceiling, emitting a low hum amongst the pipes and lights. The pipes came down like chimneys, leading to a row of furnaces lining one wall. Unfamiliar equipment sat everywhere along with a clutter of buckets, containers and rags. One entire wall was taken up with shelving of nondescript boxes, bits of colour poking out from a few.

And good God, the place was _hot_. The air was practically boiling despite the multitude of fans he could see placed throughout the space.

In the middle of the room were a series of workstations consisting of a metal table, some with seats and some without, all of them with a set of metal rails. There were four other people in the shop, all of them busy at a station, looking sweaty and decked out in protective gear.

All of them blowing glass.

There was a second for Bucky to realize _I’ve made some kind of error_ before Steve pulled his attention back.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, looking at Bucky in concern.

“I, uh-” Bucky said then shook off his shock. “Yeah, yeah, sorry. I just… wasn’t expecting this” he said lamely, praying Steve didn’t ask _what_ he’d been expecting, exactly.

“Oh, this your first time in a shop?”

“… Yeah”

Steve huffed a good-natured laugh. “Well hey, you picked a good place to start. We’ve got a beginner’s class if you wanna learn the basics-”

“Hey Steve!” one of the guys working called, standing up from his work.

Steve turned at his name, “Yeah?”

“I messed up!” the guy said excitedly, not looking unhappy about it at all. “Ask me how I messed up” he then prompted, the other guy beside him rubbing a tired hand over his face like he was ashamed to be seen with him.

Steve sighed. “How’d you mess up?” he asked wearily.

“My _shaft_ is _too big_ to fit in the _glory hole”_ he laughed, holding up a metal rod with a vague vase-shaped glass at the end of it, the neck of the vase excessively long.

“Wade” he said, put-upon and not having it.

“Come on, that’s funny”

“Did you waste glass for that joke?”

“Relax, I’ll carve it off and put it in the garage, I need extra for the perc anyway”

Steve rubbed a hand over his face, muttering something indistinctly. “Scott” he groaned looking at the man next to Wade in irritation.

Scott held his hands up in defeat. “The guy wants to make a bong, I can’t stop him” he called back.

Steve sighed, waving them off dismissively and turning back to Bucky.

“You’re not here just to make bongs are you?” Steve asked suddenly.

“Uh-”

“We’re not against them, but we focus more on stylistic techniques here, so I can recommend shops that specialize in that kind of stuff if that’s what you’re looking for”

Bucky shook his head. “Uh, no, no thanks. I don’t, uh, smoke” he stammered, Wade’s words caught in his mind. He’d said _glory hole_ , hadn’t he?

Steve nodded, smiling and a little chagrined. “Alright, just checking. I don’t want you gettin' into something that’s not your thing”

Bucky nodded, crossing his arms and looking out at the shop, avoiding Steve’s eyes for his first question.

“So, uh, these glory holes, they’re…?” he trailed off, not knowing how to finish.

“Yeah, we’ve got six working glory holes” Steve said, motioning to the row of furnaces. “We’ve only got the two running right now, but we usually open the shop doors once we get three or more goin’, this is about as hot as it gets.

"The annealers are over there,” he went on, pointing to another wall where what looked like a set of thick, insulated cupboards sat, “and over there’s where we keep the glass and frits” he pointed to the shelves holding the assorted boxes.

Bucky nodded. “Mm-hm” Bucky nodded. “Sorry, the furnaces are called _glory holes?”_ he asked again in confirmation.

Now it was Steve’s turn to blink, before realization struck and he laughed. “Oh, ha! Yeah, sorry, I forgot not everybody- but anyways, yeah, it’s sorta the standard name in glassblowing. We call the furnaces glory holes; you flash your work in them to keep the glass hot while you work it” Steve explained, amusement in his eyes.

Bucky nodded seriously, keeping his growing mortification well hidden underneath an air of curiosity. Christ, he’d fantasized this man on his knees far too many times to be healthy, and here he was blowing _glass_. Bucky couldn’t have felt like more of a creep if he tried.

“Okay, and so you use tools like… canes, and paddles” Bucky asked uncertainly, needing a little more clarification on the crazy things he’d overheard.

Steve raised a brow. “We have paddles, sure, but canes are stretched rods of glass- where’d you learn about glass blowing again?” Steve asked, shifting topic suddenly.

“I just heard some stuff” Bucky answered, aiming for casual.

Steve nodded slowly, considering. “Alright,” he said, “I think I should give you some resources to look up first. Usually people have some knowledge of this general stuff before they try it out practically”

Bucky nodded in agreement, relieved. He was in _way_ over his head right now.

“Yeah, sorry, I don’t really know why I came… just, your site was down and you said to stop by anytime and it was on my way-” Bucky rambled.

Steve smiled kindly. “Hey don’t worry about it. I really am glad you came. Gotta start somewhere, right?”

Bucky returned his smile, eyes falling briefly to Steve’s chest despite his best effort before cutting back to his face. “Yeah”

“You still want a tour, or we can go back to the front and I can give you those resources”

Bucky nodded, “Yeah, let’s go back, I can- I can come back another time, when I’m, you know”

“Sure” Steve said, taking them back to the cool air of the front store.

“So there’s a few sites you can try” he explained, crouching down behind the counter to reach for a blank sheet and pen.

Steve stood back up, leaning forward with the pen poised over the small paper, a considering look on his face. “These two have general terms you can read up on” he said as he wrote down some websites, “and this one has shop safety practices with videos, I _strongly_ recommend you watch those, but we go over safety in our classes too.

“Then these four have some video tutorials on blowing glass if you wanna watch a few and get an idea for how it’s done, but again, we’ll go over most of it with you anyway” he said, noting each one on the sheet before handing it to Bucky.

He took the sheet and read over the list. “Thanks, I’ll take a look…” Bucky’s brow furrowed when reached the bottom, seeing a phone number rather than a web address.

“Is this the shop’s number? I already have that from the card” he asked, looking up at Steve.

Steve was smirking lightly, leaning a little more on the counter. “Well, ah, that’s actually my personal number. If you had any questions or wanted to talk more about glassblowing… or, you know, anything else” he said knowingly, a coy twist to his words.

Bucky smiled, biting his lip and folding the sheet carefully to tuck into his pocket.

Maybe this hadn’t been such a huge mistake after all.

“You know, I think I’ll probably take you up on that” Bucky grinned in return.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact! These are all real glassblowing terms :)
> 
> Title: Overheard at the Glory Hole  
> Creator(s): SucculentHyena  
> Card number: 017  
> Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26710822  
> Square filled: D4, Stalking  
> Rating: Explicit  
> Archive warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply  
> Major tags: Modern AU, Humor, Misunderstanding, Sexual Fantasy  
> Summary: “I spent eight hours working the glory hole today, I’m _tired_ ”  
> Bucky overhears an _interesting_ phone conversation on the subway, and he can’t help but get sucked into the vivid narrative being painted.  
> Word count: 6,900


End file.
